Now or Never
by Group Hugs For Everyone
Summary: And it's no one's fault, there's no black and white. Only you and me on this endless night. Oh, darling, can't you see? It's now or never.//Modern day, E/C
1. Run, love, run

_**A/N:**__ It's been a while since I've done any Phantom fics, but I am coming back to fanfiction roots! The first couple of chapters are basically intros and songfics. From then on we'll have normal, regular, lovely chapters with a bit of songs thrown in here and there. I'm also writing a Heroes fic at the moments, so I might put off one or the other occasionally. I hope to have regular updates, but that's never happened before so who knows.  
__**Disclaimer:**__ Does it look like I own millions of dollars due to owning She Ran Away by Barlowgirl and the wonders of POTO owned by Leroux, Kay, and ALW? I thought not.  
__**Setting: **__Modern day New York, baby! Which, coincidently, is the home of Broadway. And we all know what POTO is.  
__**Pairings: **__I am always, now and forever, an E/C shipper. It's classic, it's what should've been, it's fantastic, and if you don't like it, if you're an R/C or E/R (meep) shipper, than you can leave.  
__**Songs: **__Cut version of She Ran Away, Barlowgirl, to fit the story.  
_-----------------------------  
It was raining.

For many of the New Yorkers bustling about, trying to hug the grimy walls of grimy buildings, this is a bad thing. It makes them sopping wet for whatever they have to get to in the next fifteen minutes while whatever they have to get to is thirty minutes away. It's the circle of Manhattan life. And it certainly does move us all, just not through despair and hope or faith and love.

More often than not it moved the many people through the motions, a dreary life with no meaning. But it was okay, they would say, they were doing good and life was…kind to them. But occasionally those people would wish for more, and none wished for more than on a rainy day in one of the worse off streets of New York that one had to cross to get to ones job.

But rain was good for Christine Maggum, despite the constant urge in her head telling her she had to get home. The rain pelted at her head and back as she set down her briefcase, making her blink to rid her eyes of water. She peered upwards, squinting between the raindrops, and slowly let her arms extend.

So many New Yorkers had learned to put up a mask, a painted mask to show a mood, expectation, or simply help them through their daily 'going through the motions'. The masks hides, but Christine could see how it hurts as well.

_She couldn't take one more day  
Home was more her prison now  
Independence called out  
She had to get it_

Christine heaved a sigh, the rain was a refreshing reminder that one could change. It easily washed away the paint, revealed the creased lines of worry and pain, the bruises and scars that left one so battered they could hardly move. It showed the imperfections of life, and no one could tell if she had let out a tear or two in the rain.

Her eyes fluttered closed as the rain darkened golden curls, slowly turning about in the rain. If you had asked anyone on the streets who walked around her easily, they probably would have stated they hadn't noticed she was there or thought her crazy. No one really believed in starting over, not in New York. You came there to start over, but you couldn't start over if you were actually _in_ New York. It was bad for tourist attraction.

She shivered, biting her lips. When had the rain begun to sting?

_A fight was all she needed  
To give her reason  
She slammed the door with no goodbye  
And knew that it was time_

She paused, finally grasping the fact that she probably looked ridiculous, was soaked to the skin, and had been twirling in the rain for quite a while. Another sigh escaped her lips and she brought her head back down and gazed down the road. Home waited for her in that direction. Yet something during that dance in the rain made her want to turn away.

It wasn't that home was bad. Her husband was caring; she had a comfortable life, a good job… Life was good, if not boring. But she didn't want to go. She had begun to loathe the idea of going through the motions in a matter of seconds.

But she didn't have the courage…did she?

_Now she's driving too fast  
She didn't care to glance behind  
And through her tears she laughed  
It's time to kiss the past goodbye_

The feel of someone bumping into her, making her stumble and press her back into the wall of a building, startled her from her thoughts. Her breath was coming in sharp pants as she slid to the wet ground, thoroughly ruining her charcoal grey business suit.

She had a chance. Right now. All she had to do was turn around, run down to the bus stop, get a hotel somewhere. She had enough money on her to last a while, what with her getting her recent paycheck. She blinked a few times, a shaky smile filling her face. It seemed so easy…just running away and never coming back. Didn't matter where she went, she would be free!

…Freedom…it sounded good. People fought for freedom everyday…why shouldn't she take advantage of it? Didn't matter what she would do, where she would go…if she didn't do it now she probably never would.

Her husband would worry, she was sure, but that didn't matter right now. She'd deal with that later. Now? She had to go. Her limbs trembled as she stood.

_I'm finally on my own  
Don't try to tell me no  
There's so much more for me  
Just watch what I will be_

She picked up her briefcase, thankful for her sense to always pack a fresh blouse and skirt, and turned away from the sidewalk, crossing the street. The bus stop was a couple blocks away, beckoning to her, and a large smile had split itself upon her face.

Nothing was holding her back now. There was nothing that called to her and spoke of work and family and general life or, if there was, she had done well to squash the noise and continue on her way. She couldn't say what compelled her to move, just that it did.

Freedom was calling, and she simply knew she had to follow it, wherever that may lead. Gone were the days of going through the motions. She would finally learn how to live. How to truly live.

_She walked away  
Couldn't say why she was leaving  
She walked away  
She left all she had believed in  
She walked away_

It was now or never, she realized. The bus stop was a few feet away, and she had one more chance to ignore the calling. She furrowed her brow and tilted her head, gazing at the world around her.

The world…it called her Mrs. Maggum, all the time with no exceptions.

In her mind and in her soul, she was simply Christine.

She blinked as the bus pulled up, biting her lip once more.

_The choice is yours alone now  
Tell me how this story ends_


	2. These Rainy Nights

_**A/N: **And, chapter two. I know I kind of ignored his name, and I actually didn't mean to do that. But by the time I had finished, re-read it, realized I had done that, I kind of figured it fit. So here it is. Our number one favorite man!__  
__**Disclaimer: **__The day I own this is the day I turn into a magenta gingham hippopotamus.  
__**Pairing: **__Still E/C, my dears. Why would I change that?  
_**Song: **_She's Out of My Life by Josh Groban.  
-------------_

It was raining.

He watched it pelt the window, little rivulets of water pouring down in clear streams. He leaned against the wall, not having difficulty seeing in the dark room. The ebony piano stood silently in the middle of the room, glowing in the little light that the clouds allowed to seep through. It beckoned, in a way, but he turned his face away and let his eyes fall to his arms.

He wouldn't play. Not now, not ever again. But the melodies in his soul made up for the loss of feeling the ivory keys beneath his fingers, and he found it difficult to quench the tunes within.

_She's out of my life  
She's out of my life  
And I don't know whether to laugh or cry  
I don't know whether to live or die  
And it cuts like a knife  
She's out of my life_

Of course she was. There was no reason she should stay, not after all he had put them through. He was a wolf in sheep's clothing, delusioning himself and those around him that he was safe and beautiful and pure as snow. But as soon as the shard of glass touched his skin, as soon as one watches the process of ripping the white skin, one saw the black underneath.

No one could stay around him, and he didn't blame them.

_It's out of my hands  
It's out of my hands  
To think for two years she was here  
And I took her for granted I was so cavalier  
Now the way that It stands  
She's out of my hands_

He had to give her credit. Two years with a monster? It must have felt like a lifetime…and the moment she found the truth he wasn't surprised she left him. There had been hints all along, and that one moment in time was the last straw.

The rain attracted his attention once more, and he tugged absently at the leather gloves, making sure they were secure.

He was in one of the few secluded areas of Manhattan, a place where the apartments were large and elegantly tasteful if you had enough money, where you had your choice of a view of the city or a view of a man-made Eden. He chuckled to himself. Both ways you looked at it you were simply viewing what another man created…but the garden was far better than facing the fumes and smoke and the people living out their days.

He imagined that the people in the city were far happier than he was here. After all, wasn't New York the one place where everyone could start anew? The City That Never Sleeps?

_So I've learned that love's Not Possession  
And I've learned that love won't wait  
Now I've learned that love needs expression  
But I learned too late_

He winced, cursing his inner music to distract him once more. At least he was honest with himself, though.

He knew there was no chance to go back, no chance to do it again. He had his share of second chances, each used and abused. There was no point in trying again when one knew they would fail, was there? The chances of him finding love…finding love and living up to the expectations of that woman were ridiculously low. There was no one on earth who would look at a wolf and ask to dine with him

Unless, of course, they were looking to be eaten. But that was a little pathetic. Then again, who was he to talk about pathetic? He lived in a never ending circle of pathetic.

_She's out of my life  
She's out of my life  
Damned Indecision and cursed pride  
Kept my love for her locked deep Inside  
And it cuts like a knife  
She's out of my life_

He looked up sharply as a doorbell sounded. He stood, stunned for a moment, until a weak thumping that he barely recognized as knocking filled his ears. He furrowed his brow, walking slowly towards the front door. No one ever came to visit, except for Nadir. And Nadir was…well, he would probably just pick the lock, break the chain, enter the room and hit his friend on the head for thinking depressing thoughts again.

Besides, the knocking was extremely weak, a far cry from Nadir's outgoing and strong personality. He hesitated, wondering who could be behind the door, before undoing the locks and opening the door cautiously.

Before him lay a blonde woman in severe disarray. She was unconscious, wet, wearing a business suit and clutching a brief case, and—the most alarming thing and what made him decide to bring the young woman inside—bleeding from her left temple with bruising under her right eye.

Today was gonna be great. He could tell.


End file.
